In my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,689, I disclosed a method and apparatus for producing snow from pressurized water and air wherein a stream of water was discharged into the atmosphere in the axial center of a column of air flowing through a discharge orifice. The apparatus was portable and was supplied with air and water via hoses from remote sources. Ski slope operators could position the snowmakers wherever they were needed, however this flexibility in positioning required manpower to position, operate, and remove the snowguns and the associated hoses.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,230, I improved upon the snowgun such that substantially all of the water particles are encased within a sheath of laminar flow air as it moves through the discharge chamber. This improvement did nothing to eliminate or reduce the manpower required to position, operate, and remove the system.
I am aware of other patented snowmaking apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,494,559, 3,761,020, 3,892,013, 3,897,904 and 4,275,833. Each of the above can be used as portable devices for making snow, however, they constitute an unnecessary hazard to skiers if they are not removed from the slopes.